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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!

Yea, I've paid that tax a couple of times. It's humiliating and infuriating, but you do learn. Kids at a summer camp impersonated the staff and got me to tune a piano once. That one worked out OK in the end, but it's pretty hard to sniff out all the scams before you get stung.

I'm now wary of bars, churches with long names, outdoor venues, wedding emergencies, and long distance calls. I'll take some of these clients, but I've learned to do a little more checking first.

I'm now wary of bars, churches with long names, outdoor venues, wedding emergencies, and long distance calls. I'll take some of these clients, but I've learned to do a little more checking first.

As a player rather than a tuner, it's surprising how often we get stiffed by a church. I've learned to get the cash up front, or resign myself to chasing it for a couple of months. "Oh, only Susie can write the check, but she'll be back tomorrow and I'm sure she'll take care of it right away." "I know we agreed on $100, but Pastor Dave says it was supposed to be $75, you don't mind, do you?"

Having an occasional deadbeat customer is simply the cost of running a business. I ALSO hate the "slow pays". If you can't absorb the cost and/or risk of this happening in the future, you might only issue credit to your BEST customers who have a proven track record. Just a thought